Licensed Victuallers Blue Top Ginger Beer Bottle

What's for sale?

This is an original, stoneware, ginger beer bottle with blue top, from the early 20th century.

It's a fairly rare bottle and from an interesting source. In blue print on the front, around a diamond shape, are the words:

founded jubilee 1897

Quench your thirst with our ginger beer

the licensed victuallers pure mineral water co.

quench your thirst with the licensed victuallers pure mineral waters

There were many Licensed Victuallers associations around Britain and they were a powerful lobbying group comprising and representing pub licensees. Their membership was large enough for them to be involved in other ventures too and they were also very active in raising money for charity.

Until the early 20th century, Stoneware bottles like these were in widespread use and produced in large numbers, with shapes, colours and branding to differentiate the contents. They were mass-produced and roughly made, so most will have faults, and because they were made to throw away, most of those around today will have come from old rubbish tips. Some had a screw top, but most used a cork bung.